Presti's 68-win juggernaut — the one so heavily favored in this series; the one we figured for a budding dynasty — is two losses from the franchise's best season ending short of a championship.

The Pacers played with pace, got crucial contributions from reserves T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin, and Tyrese Haliburton did a bit of everything as Indiana took a 2-1 series lead.